If you are looking at flashes around $80 new the Yongnuos are a very ggod value. For $100 I got a Neewer flash with the LiOn battery and it is splendid.
The Vivitar is now made as a very non-premum Chinese flash with an old budget name. It is not what it was in the 70's when the original came out as a great value.

That role has been replaced by the growing ranks of decent Chinese flashes with new names like Yongnuo and Godox.

markd61 wrote:
If you are looking at flashes around $80 new the Yongnuos are a very ggod value. For $100 I got a Neewer flash with the LiOn battery and it is splendid.
The Vivitar is now made as a very non-premum Chinese flash with an old budget name. It is not what it was in the 70's when the original came out as a great value.

That role has been replaced by the growing ranks of decent Chinese flashes with new names like Yongnuo and Godox.

+1. I got one of these years ago and for years it was awesome. Never an issue. It finally died (maybe after 5 or 6 years.) Bought another one and it died after 2 or 3 weddings. They replaced it, and the next one died soon after as well. I'm guessing my first was before the Chinese took them over, and the other ones were after that.

Much better options nowadays. Yongnuo isn't terrible, I have one and it's OK, but I don't love it. I haven't used it, but I hear the LumoPro LP180 is amazing. You might want to check that out.

Chris Humphrey wrote:
I got [a Vivitar] years ago and for years it was awesome. Never an issue. It finally died (maybe after 5 or 6 years.) Bought another one and it died after 2 or 3 weddings. They replaced it, and the next one died soon after as well. I'm guessing my first was before the Chinese took them over, and the other ones were after that.

Yeah, there were definite QC issues shortly after the Chinese company started making them. Recently made ones, though, seem to have ironed out the problems.

I have four of the Late ones that I got from Adorama last year and they seem to work, I run them on the Ratio Portion and Full, They don't go on the Camera, they just go on a Flash Zebra Adapter with a Honeycomb Grid or on a Portable 20x20 Soft Box from Lastolite.

I had a set of three 285HV's I used with Lumedyne batteries for about five years. I sold the Vivitar's. And replaced them with Yongnuo YN560 II's, just having the illuminated LCD on the rear made my life so much easier. Plus the Yongnuo's have a lot more power control than the Vivitar's and I was still able to use them with my Lumedyne batteries for quick recycling.

Yamil - I took my old 283 and adapted a potentiometer, albeit an ugly solution. but it works in those special times. It makes for a super easy set up...of course no bells, whistles, just a knob/box connected by a bit of wire.

And I just couldn't throw it away. I bought it brand new just a few (~30) years ago

Does it work to 100% with alkaline batteries? Your NC-3 pack may have seen a lot of charges in its life. Try the AA alkalines before you back-burner it. The Red/Green blink should come on with fresh alkalines.
Allan